Windmill.



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(Application flied June`14, 1899.)

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' UNITED 'STATES PATENT GEEICE.

EMIL LEIBUNDGUT, oF NEWARK', NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,633, dated June 1e, 1900.

Application tiled June 14, 1899. Serial No. 720,437. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMIL LEIBUNDGUT, a. citizen of Switzerland, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Windmills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are primarily to enable a ship to be driven by means of the wind in any direction desired, even directly against the wind; to provide for this purpose a windmill particularly adapted for use on ships, although capable of being used in other places; to provide a windmill adapted to turn upon a vertical axis and one in which a part of the wings or sails shall be extended to catch the wind, while the others are closed or folded inward toward the axis, to thus enable a large area of surface to be presented to the wind without occupying space on shipboarddesired for other purposes,and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to inconnection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved Windmill and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and iinally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

.in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure lis a side elevation of my improved windmill. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on line @Fig 1. Fig. 3 is another sectional view taken on line Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is adetail view of one of the wings or sails detached.

In said drawings, ct indicates a mast of a ship or a standard of any suitable kind adapted to occupy a substantially-vertical position and support the windmill and serve as a pivot therefor. Upon said mast at a suitable height are upper and lower boxes b b', adapted to turn upon the mast as an axle and each held in proper position by collars c, fixed by set-screws to said mast below and above the said b oxes,`which therefore rest on the lower collars and are kept against upward displacement by the upper collars. Said boxes b b are peripherally provided with a double row of radially-projecting ears d, each pair of said ears being arranged one above the other and providing a space between to receive a tongue on the inner edge of the wing or sail e. Said sails are preferably provided with two such tongues, one near the upper and one near the lower end, and said tongues are perforated in vertical line with the ears to receive a pin g. Each sail is thus secured to the box or bearing b by a hinge-joint, which allows the sail to swing through a greater or less arc of the circumference of the windmill. The sails are of any height desired and extend radially outward from the mast or standard a sufficient distance to secure the needful area of exposure to the wind. Said sails are curved or concavo-convex in horizontal cross-section and preferably taper or diminish in thickness toward the outer vertical edge.

VtThile I have shown the wings or sails made of a single piece of wood, metal, or the like, itis evident that they might be constructed in any suitable way to secure lightnessk and strength without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For

instance, a light and rigid framework might be used over which pieces of canvas were stretched to form the sails, or sheets of tin could be secured to suitable supporting-ribs. The tongues f of said sails are provided at the inner end with a substantially-plane face, as at h, which produces a projection or stop 't' thereon, and a recess j is provided in the surface of the box b, having a fiat bottom,

against which the stop projection t of the sail may impinge and hold the sail in radial position with respect to the axis ofthe wheel. Beyond this point the sail cannot turn forward upon its hinges, and thus the sail transmits the force of the Wind to the boxes b, which are thus caused to revolve. The sails diametrically opposite to these receiving the force of the wind present their convex snrfaces to the wind and being free to swing pivotally are folded inward into closed position and lie close against the mast, where they present little obstruction to the wind.

IOO

As they are brought farther around by the turning of the wheel they are caught by the wind and opened into operative position.

The motion of the revolving wheel may be transmitted to the work to be done by any usual means; but I have shown the lower box b' extended downward to receive a gearwheel k at the lower end, which gear-wheel may be keyed to the box. Between said gearwheel and the sails the box is peripherally enlarged, as at Z, to form a shoulder against which the gear-wheel 7a rests. Said gearwheel la meshes into a second gear-wheel m, fast on a shaft n, turning in suitable bearings, and the shaft fn, carries at its end a beveled gear-wheel o, working into a coperatin g beveled gear p on the propeller-shaft q.

At the upper and near the outer corners of the sails or wings e I fasten to the concave side of the sail a connecting-plate r, having ears r r', between which the end of a connecting-rod s may be pivotally fastened. Said connecting-rod extends upward to the standard or mast a and at its upper end is similarly joined to a collar t, adapted to turn with the wind-wheel. Said collar is carried by a sleeve u, longitudinally movable on the mast and provided at its lower end with a flange u', supporting the collar t. The said sleeve u does not rotate and is used for raising or lowering the collar t to close or open the sails of the wind-wheel by the rods s. For this purpose a stud 'u for attaching a rope 'u' is disposed at the upper end of the sleeve, and a pulley w for the rope to run over is pivoted on a bracket w', clamped to the mast at a higher point.

In operation the wind striking the convex surfaces of the wings or sails on one side swings them inward toward the center, so they present little resistance to the wind, and at the same time the wind exerts its force on the outspread sails at the other side, as has been described, thus causing the wheel to rotate, as will be understood. When it is desired to stop the action of the wheel, the rope e is drawn upon and the wings all closed inward around the mast in atightly-folded position, where they catch no wind.

It will be obvious that by my construction I provide a wind-wheel in which the sails can be made as large as desired without encroaching upon the space below needed for other purposes and one, moreover, which is always ready to receive the wind and does not have to adjust itself to the quarter from which the wind blows.

Having thus described the invention, what 'I claim as new is;-

l. The herein-described wind-wheel, comprising pivotal boxes b, provided with peripheral radially-projecting ears, curved sails adapted to receive the wind and provided at their inner edges with tongues entering between said ears and hinge pins passing through said ears and tongue, said tongues having an inner end adapted to engage the surface of the box b, and limit motion of the sail, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the axis a, of the rotatable boxes b, and sails e, hinged to said boxes, an upper sleeve adapted to slide on the axis a, a collar turning on said sleeve and held against longitudinal movement thereon, and connecting-rods extending from said collar to the outerupper corner of each sail, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of May, 1899.

EMIL LEIBUNDGUT. Witnesses:

CHARLES II. PELL, RUSSELL M. EVERETT. 

